Abuse of prescription drugs (particularly opioids) has become a serious societal problem. Such abuse places an enormous economic burden on society due to increased health care, work place, and criminal justice costs. Several routes of administration are commonly attempted by abusers. For example, the oral solid dosage form may be crushed or pulverized into a powder and administered intranasally (i.e., snorted) or dissolved in a suitable solvent (e.g., water) and administered parenterally (i.e., injected intravenously).
Attempts have been made to diminish the abuse of opioid solid dosage forms. One approach has been to include in the dosage form an opioid antagonist that is not orally active but will substantially block the analgesic effects of the opioid if one attempts to dissolve the opioid and administer it parenterally. Another approach has been to include gel-forming high molecular weight polymers that confer plasticity to the dosage form rendering them difficult to crush and pulverize into a powder. These high molecular weight polymers, however, retard the release of the active ingredient from the dosage forms, making them unsuitable for immediate release formulations.
Thus, there is a need for oral solid dosage forms that provide immediate release of the active ingredient yet are resistant to abuse.